An in situ sample environment reaction cell for spatially resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of powders and small structured reactors.

An easy-to-use sample environment reaction cell for X-ray based in situ studies of powders and small structured samples, e.g., powder, pellet, and monolith catalysts, is described. The design of the cell allows for flexible use of appropriate X-ray transparent windows, shielding the sample from ambient conditions, such that incident X-ray energies as low as 3 keV can be used. Thus, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements in either transmission or fluorescence mode are facilitated. Total gas flows up to about 500 mln/min can be fed while the sample temperature is accurately controlled (at least) in the range of 25-500 °C. The gas feed is composed by a versatile gas-mixing system and the effluent gas flow composition is monitored with mass spectrometry (MS). These systems are described briefly. Results from simultaneous XAS/MS measurements during oxidation of carbon monoxide over a 4% Pt/Al2O3 powder catalyst are used to illustrate the system performance in terms of transmission XAS. Also, 2.2% Pd/Al2O3 and 2% Ag - Al2O3 powder catalysts have been used to demonstrate X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy in fluorescence mode. Further, a 2% Pt/Al2O3 monolith catalyst was used ex situ for transmission XANES. The reaction cell opens for facile studies of structure-function relationships for model as well as realistic catalysts both in the form of powders, small pellets, and coated or extruded monoliths at near realistic conditions. The applicability of the cell for X-ray diffraction measurements is discussed.

Copper doped TiO2 nanoparticles characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, total scattering, and powder diffraction--a benchmark structure-property study.

Metal functionalized nanoparticles potentially have improved properties e.g. in catalytic applications, but their precise structures are often very challenging to determine. Here we report a structural benchmark study based on tetragonal anatase TiO2 nanoparticles containing 0-2 wt% copper. The particles were synthesized by continuous flow synthesis under supercritical water-isopropanol conditions. Size determination using synchrotron PXRD, TEM, and X-ray total scattering reveals 5-7 nm monodisperse particles. The precise dopant structure and thermal stability of the highly crystalline powders were characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and multi-temperature synchrotron PXRD (300-1000 K). The combined evidence reveals that copper is present as a dopant on the particle surfaces, most likely in an amorphous oxide or hydroxide shell. UV-VIS spectroscopy shows that copper presence at concentrations higher than 0.3 wt% lowers the band gap energy. The particles are unaffected by heating to 600 K, while growth and partial transformation to rutile TiO2 occur at higher temperatures. Anisotropic unit cell behavior of anatase is observed as a consequence of the particle growth (a decreases and c increases).

Scrutinizing negative thermal expansion in MOF-5 by scattering techniques and ab initio calculations.

Complementary experimental techniques and ab initio calculations were used to determine the origin and nature of negative thermal expansion (NTE) in the archetype metal-organic framework MOF-5 (Zn(4)O(1,4-benzenedicarboxylate)(3)). The organic linker was probed by inelastic neutron scattering under vacuum and at a gas pressure of 175 bar to distinguish between the pressure and temperature responses of the framework motions, and the local structure of the metal centers was studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Multi-temperature powder- and single-crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction was used to characterize the polymeric nature of the sample and to quantify NTE over the large temperature range 4-400 K. Ab initio calculations complement the experimental data with detailed information on vibrational motions in the framework and their correlations. A uniform and comprehensive picture of NTE in MOF-5 has been drawn, and we provide direct evidence that the main contributor to NTE is translational transverse motion of the aromatic ring, which can be dampened by applying a gas pressure to the sample. The linker motion is highly correlated rather than local in nature. The relative energies of different framework vibrations populated in MOF-5 are suggested by analysis of neutron diffraction data. We note that the lowest-energy motion is a librational motion of the aromatic ring which does not contribute to NTE. The libration is followed by transverse motion of the linker and the carboxylate group. These motions result in unit-cell contraction with increasing temperature.

The structures of T6, T3R3 and R6 bovine insulin: combining X-ray diffraction and absorption spectroscopy.

The crystal structures of three conformations, T(6), T(3)R(3) and R(6), of bovine insulin were solved at 1.40, 1.30 and 1.80 Å resolution, respectively. All conformations crystallized in space group R3. In contrast to the T(6) and T(3)R(3) structures, different conformations of the N-terminal B-chain residue PheB1 were observed in the R(6) insulin structure, resulting in an eightfold doubling of the unit-cell volume upon cooling. The zinc coordination in each conformation was studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), including both EXAFS and XANES. Zinc adopts a tetrahedral coordination in all R(3) sites and an octahedral coordination in T(3) sites. The coordination distances were refined from XAS with a standard deviation of <0.01 Å. In contrast to the distances determined from the medium-resolution crystal structures, the XAS results were in good agreement with similar coordination geometries found in small molecules, as well as in other high-resolution insulin structures. As the radiation dose for XRD experiments is two orders of magnitude higher compared with that of XAS experiments, the single crystals were exposed to a higher degree of radiation damage that affected the zinc coordination in the T(3) sites in particular. Furthermore, XANES spectra for the zinc sites in T(6) and R(6) insulin were successfully calculated using finite difference methods and the bond distances and angles were optimized from a quantitative XANES analysis.

Rethinking arsenate coordination at the surface of goethite.

A fundamental precept of geochemistry is that arsenate coordinates at mineral surfaces in a predominately bridging-bidentate fashion. We show that this is incorrect for the model system, arsenate adsorbed at the surface of goethite (alpha-FeOOH), using a combination of XRD, EXAFS, and IR spectroscopic results. We report the crystal structure of pentaamminecobalt(III) arsenate, which consists of monodentate-coordinated metal-arsenato complexes that have Co-As distances of only 3.25 A. This result implies that metal-arsenic distances are not diagnostic for the coordination mode of arsenate. We show that the K-edge EXAFS spectra of pentaamminecobalt(III) arsenate and arsenate-goethite surface complexes are strikingly similar, which suggests that arsenate could be coordinated at the goethite surface in a monodentate fashion. Refinements of the k(3)-weighted EXAFS spectra of arsenate adsorbed on goethite results in values of CN(As-Fe) between 0.8-1.1 (+/-0.7), and there is no evidence that the coordination mode of arsenate changes as a function of pH or arsenate surface coverage. We report IR spectra from the first simultaneous IR and potentiometric titration of arsenate adsorbed on deuterated goethite (alpha-FeOOD) in D(2)O, and we show for the first time the As-O stretching bands of arsenate-goethite surface complexes. We deduce that arsenate-goethite surface complexes are un-, singly, or doubly protonated, depending on pH, from a principal component analysis of the As-O stretching region and an interpretation of the Type-B OH stretching region. In summary, our cumulative results show that arsenate coordinates at the water-goethite interface in a predominately monodentate fashion. Furthermore, we find no evidence for bridging-bidentate coordination, which is a finding that impacts oxoanion bioavailability and challenges theories of mineral dissolution and surface complexation.

Adsorption of alpha amino acids at the water/goethite interface.

The adsorption of amino acids onto mineral surfaces plays an important role in a wide range of areas, e.g., low-temperature aqueous geochemistry, bone formation and protein-bone interactions. In this work, the adsorption of three alpha aminoacids (sarcosine, MIDA and EDDA) onto goethite (alpha-FeOOH) was studied as a function of pH and background electrolyte concentration at 25.0 degrees C, and the molecular structures of the surface complexes formed were analyzed by means of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed that adsorption of alpha amino acids were strongly dependent on the functionality and structure of the ligands. No adsorption was detected for the zwitterionic sarcosine indicating that simple alpha amino acids without other ionizable and/or functional groups display insignificant affinity for mineral surfaces such as goethite. With respect to the more complex amino acids, which are surface reactive, the number and relative positions of carboxylate and amine groups determine the types of surface interactions. These interactions range from non-specific outer-sphere to specific inner-sphere interactions as shown by the MIDA and EDDA results, respectively. The results presented herein suggest that isomerically-selective adsorption might only occur for amino acids that are capable of specific surface interactions, either through site-specific hydrogen bonding or inner-sphere complexation.